What Goes in The Bags?

A lot of people have been asking me for lists of what will be going into each Angel bag so that they can donate to the cause. I am sorry it has taken so long, but it was because we have tweeked them more than I expected. After talking to my sister, "Bug", and determining what the hospital we will be delivering to already provides the baby loss parents, we have made our list finalized, and this is what ill be going into each bag:

~Hand and Foot print molds- these can be picked up a your local Walmart for about $7, or I am sure there are some online ordering places.
~ Journals and pen so that mom and dad can write down memories of their baby and their feelings over the next few months/years. Some people aren't as vocal as I am, and don't want to pour their heart out on the internet.
~A receiving blanket
~an outfit. I prefer a outfit that is proper for burial, because I could not have brought myself to go into a Baby's R Us to pick one out myself. I know some parents want to do it themselves, but if the outfit is already beautiful, then they don't have to if they don't want to.
~Booties and little hats to put on the baby.
~A teddy bear, small, for baby- there was a comfort in my heart knowing that Rosie's little bear was with her from the time she was born, and now resides with her in the casket. I have been looking specifically for the angel TY bears, but they are harder to find than I thought.
~A large teddy bear for mom- this is to ease a little of the pain from the "empty arm syndrome". I carried my bear around for weeks!
~A disposable camera. Although I did not think of it at the time, I regret now not getting more photos of my beautiful daughter. I think that if the camera is in the bag, parents may be inclined to take pictures. Then, they don't even have to develop the film until they are ready (It took me at least 2 months to finally look at the pictures that the hospital took).
~Gift cards. I will be giving gift cards to Joan (the bereavement director) to be given to the dads. For most women, they are in and out of the hospital within 48 of giving birth. However, under some circumstances like mine, I was there for 4 days. Foster didn't eat much. He didn't want to leave my side. I feel like if the dad has a $10 gift card to Chipotle or Tim Hortons or somewhere close to the hospital, he may be more inclined to eat. Also, the hospital food is not always appetizing, so  maybe the mom will partake in the GC.
~ Last but not least, a specific book, "Mommy Please Don't Cry, There are No tears in Heaven" I am including in every bag. If you are a BLM, and would like to donate a different book to help the mom and dad in their grief, feel free! 
~Any monetary donation is great also. There are a lot of expenses that go into this that you don't physically see (like the canvas bags, printer ink for the letters, thank you cards and stamps, etc.). To do this securely, feel free to use the paypal donation button on the right, or send it to me in the mail.

As we get more donations and are able to expand to other hospitals, more items will be added to this list. For instance, memory boxes. OSU has them already. They give them to each angle mom, however, other hospitals may not, so if you want to donate memory boxes because you are crafty and make them, or just find a nice one at a store and buy one, we will NOT turn down any donation! We will eventually use everything!

I hope this helps, I thank you all ahead of time for your generosity, and God Bless!

To send donations directly to me, please email me for my address: erinkfinneran@gmail.com

Merry Christmas Rosalynn!

Here are some pictures of the amazing donations we received from St. Vincent de Paul parents! I am sooooo blessed. Rosie has definitely made an impact on people! Also, I had my very first online donation! So I am glad to say that the paypal donation button works!!

Project Sweet Pea's logo

Shelf stocked full with items ready to be added to bags!!

beautiful outfits and onsies...the ones my mom picked out have roses embroidered on the outfit!! How sweet!!

Notice the boxes to the left...notice a theme?!?! LOL. These are beautiful memory boxes

My amazing Auntie Chris Embroidered these bags! BEAUTIFUL!!!

Boxes of matching outfits, blankets, booties, and caps...with a few angel bears thrown in. Donated by Back in His Arms Again.

Google and Roses from Rosalynn!

I know unless people are aware of "Roses from Rosalynn" they would probably never have a reason to Google it, but I think it is great that if you DO google it, it is the FIRST like that pops up!! I LOVE it!!! Now I just need inexpensive ideas to market my project. I would like to have it reach all the corners of Ohio. I know this is a big dream, but that is my ultimate goal, to have as many hospitals and Baby loss families benifit from these beautiful bags. Stay tuned, because tomorrow I will be posting the pictures from all of the Christmas donations. I hope to get the first delivery made before school starts back up on Jan 3rd!

Donation Buttion Up and Running!!!

If you will look to your right, you will see my all new donation button! I am so excited about this, because so many people have expressed interest in donating to Roses from Rosalynn with Project SweetPeas, and now they can!
The button will take you to Pay pal, and every cent (minus a small paypal fee that will be taken out of my account once a month) will go to my bags. I am working on adding up approximately how much each bag costs, so that if someone actually wants to donate a "full bag", they can! Until then, every little bit helps, even one dollar!! Thank you all so much for your love and support! I could not have done this without you!

The Kindness of Others

The Christmas season brings out a lot of different emotions and mindsets in people. Some get greedy, and all they can focus on is what they want under the tree. Some feel guilty because they cannot afford to buy the kinds of presents they want for their family members. Others, including myself and other baby loss parents are just praying they get through the holidays without more heartbreak and pain. However, it is those that exhibit the true meaning of Christmas that warm my heart and give me hope for the new year.

I have officially received my first donations to Roses from Rosalynn. I have mentioned before the wonderful people I work with, and how much I enjoy my job because of them. I also mentioned how one of the nurses commended me on how I have turned my loss into something worthy of praise and respect. This strong minded, funny and beautiful woman donated a bag full of goodies to my project, my ministry. She handed me a bag with an array of different items. There were adorable onesies, hats, and socks. She included lotions and powders that I am sure it did not go unnoticed by her that the brand name of the bathing supplies is "Angel of Mine". I was ecstatic as I peered into the bag and thought of the smiles the parents would have when they too realized what they would be giving their first bath with. This generous woman is quiet compared to a lot of the women I work with, she has had her own struggles in life, and has become and amazingly strong woman because of them. This is just another example of how when she does do or say something, there is substance behind it, and this simple act of kindness warmed me to the core.

Today I was handed a envelope by another angel in scrubs. This particular nurse has been an inspiration to me since the day I joined the ER team. Her and one other young nurse were two of the most compassionate, loving, Christian-like women I have ever known. The second nurse joined mission work and has been traveling for the past 2 years, however, the first stayed behind and has brightened our sometimes dark, stressful workplace. Her smile and laugh is contagious and she never has an ill word to say about anyone, including some of the shady people that come through our doors. Her faith in God inspired me, and for 3 years I have enjoyed listening and talking to her about Christ and scripture, friendship and love.

When I read the outside of the envelope that she handed me, it said that I inspired HER! I uttered an ironic laugh in my head, because if she only knew..... (well, she knows now if she or someone at work figures out who I am talking about). In a time of year where people are scraping together money for gifts for their loved ones, and still trying to pay bills, her and her husband wanted to make a donation to my ministry. To say I was appreciative was an understatement. Had she handed me the envelope in a more private place, there would have been tears, but I have learned how to hide them and unfortunately all she got was the generic "Thank You", a hug, and a smile, because if she could see how I was truly feeling on the inside, I was bursting, and the thank you would probably have been a lot more emotional. However, she was close to tears herself, so maybe it was good I held back in front of everyone.

The Kindness of others is what has made me feel completely full filled this season. I could go to Christmas with my family this year, and if there isn't a single present under that tree for me, I will still be satisfied, because what these women have done. I am so happy that with these items and money, I will be able to contribute more to families who are suffering in their hearts and whose world has been flipped upside down this Christmas Season.

Thank You Thank You Thank You ladies, from the bottom of my heart!!!

(Oh, and Mom, don't think I have forgotten your donations, that is a whole separate post! I promise:-)

It is Official!! Roses From Rosalynn is Up and Running!!

It is official! Roses from Rosalynn with Project Sweet Peas is up and running!!

You can find my page on PSP here, and soon I will have donation buttons added to my blogs in the event you would like to give to this fantastic cause.

Here is what is happening thus far:

JJ, Bug and I are going to be doing this together. Bug, being a NICU nurse, is going to help deliver the baskets since it will be hard for me to do it alone. She will also let me know if there is anything I should add/delete from the bags.

JJ will be my trust "treasurer". She is amazing with money and budgeting, and well, that isn't my strong suit, so I will leave the spreadsheets and monetary details up to her. Of course, we will be going as a team to shop, because we love shopping.

As of right now, JJ is submitting our project for a grant through the company she works for. We are super excited, because this could add anywhere between $100 and $10,000 dollars to our cause. Can you imagine the amount of families we could help with that!?!?!

My mother has started a collection at her work. She is a second grade teacher, and instead of the traditional teacher gifts, mugs, gift cards, etc., my mom has asked for donations for her daughter's and grandaughter's cause.

People say everything happens for a reason. I figured, even if there is no real "reason" why Rosalynn died, I will make a reason until I know why the true reason was.

Mommy loves you baby girl, and I am doing this to keep your memory alive. You will NEVER be forgotten!!